No large metro area had a higher percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree than the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria region, where nearly 49% of adults held such a degree as of 2013. Strong educational attainment likely contributed to the strong advanced industry presence. Computer systems and design companies were the most prominent advanced employers, employing nearly 200,000 people in the area in 2013, one of the higher nominal figures. The prevalence of high-paying advanced industry jobs helped raise incomes for all residents. The average wage for all residents of nearly $70,000 in 2013 was nearly the highest nationwide and considerably higher than the national figure of $50,130. Nearly all the areas with dense concentrations of advanced industry jobs have at least some manufacturing presence. In the Washington metro area, however, advanced industry activity is nearly all service-related.

The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area is one of three top California metros for advanced industry presence. In 2013, 14% of the San Francisco metro area’s workforce was employed in research and development and STEM worker intensive professions, the fifth highest share among large metro areas. Area residents in such positions had high wages, even among advanced industry workers in other areas. The average wage among advanced industry workers in the area was $157,700 in 2013, second only to the comparable figure in the San Jose metro area. The presence of the University of California, which is one of the largest employers in the Bay Area as well as a contributor to the area’s well-educated population, also accounts in part for the advanced industries. More than 45% of area adults had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2013, the fourth highest proportion among large metro areas. By contrast, less than 30% of adults nationwide were college educated.

Unlike nearly all of the nation’s densest concentrations of advanced industry activity, the Detroit metro area is located east of the Mississippi. And while most other areas reviewed tended to have especially strong computer and engineering-related industries, the Detroit area’s advanced industry is found primarily in motor vehicle parts manufacturing. Advanced industries accounted for nearly one-quarter of all of the region’s economic output in 2013, the ninth highest contribution from advanced industries among large metro areas. While advanced industries tend to require higher levels of education, the auto industry is frequently an exception. Detroit metro area adults were less likely than most Americans to have at least a bachelor’s degree in 2013. Yet, the area still benefited from the presence and growth of advanced industry jobs. Advanced industry jobs in Detroit grew at an annual average rate of 7.4% between 2010 and 2013, the third fastest growth rate among large metro areas. Economic output from advanced industries in the area grew 7.0% annually, the 13th fastest such growth rate among large metros.